UCF’s faculty union, the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), is disappointed in a recommendation by the school’s Board of Trustees’ labor and compensation subcommittee to give UCF faculty a raise of only 0.5 percent.
At a meeting on Monday, the committee heard arguments for faculty raises from the union and union’s private attorney, Michael Mattimore. The boardroom was standing room only as UCF faculty, students, and alumni supporting improved compensation of faculty wore “respect” buttons and held signs stating “reward faculty performance.”
UCF’s own lawyer, however, argued against granting the faculty at UCF any raise at all. But after hearing the arguments, John Sprouls, chair of the labor and compensation committee, announced his committee would recommend to the full Board that faculty be granted a non-retroactive raise of 0.5 percent to begin in January.
Sprouls did acknowledge that “the faculty deserves more” and noted that UFF “had made a strong argument with regard to compensation.” Board member Ray Gilley likewise indicated that the Board would like to give “[its] precious faculty the raise they deserve.”
“UFF is shocked by the BOT committee’s refusal to appropriately recognize faculty contributions to UCF’s success,” a press release from the union stated.
At last week’s Board of Trustees meeting, the Board granted bonuses that totaled over $320,000 to some administrators (including a $117,000 bonus to President Hitt) for meeting university set performance goals.
But the faculty union says that those goals could not have been met without significant faculty teaching, advising, and research success.
“Amidst ever increasing faculty workloads, declining take-home pay, and already low morale, faculty at UCF perceive the decision to award them a mere 0.5% as a slap in the face,” a press release from the union said. “It is our hope that the Board of Trustees will take into consideration the central importance of UCF faculty to the university’s mission, and that the full BOT will overturn this committee recommendation and will grant a fair raise for UCF faculty.”
